Members of the Defence Force are on a regional tour of Queensland, educating school children about the opportunities defence offers.

Sergeant Barry Pleasance says interest in jobs with the Defence Force is stronger in central and western Queensland than in some other places further north.

"I find it's better in these regions than in the Townsville region because Townsville is a very garrison type city where the exposure to army and Airforce is already there so yes we still do recruit from there but when we come to somewhere that hasn't got as big a presence, then we find a lot of people are interested," he says.

"When I go out west to places like Mount Isa definitely that sort of interest, it's finally someone they can talk to about military life."

He says the mining industry has also proven to be tough competition because they can offer high wages.

Sergeant Pleasance says the army recuits people up until the age of 55 and it's surprising the amount of people who are chasing a life change.

"I've had just recently, a 50 year old from the mines, he wanted something different in his life and he's looking at joining the army as an officer," says Sergeant Pleasance.

He says the Defence Force is pushing to recruit more women and there's been plenty of interest at the expo.

"I've had interest here this morning from young women who say they want to join the Defence Force so it's good that it's getting out there and it's not just for the boys," he says.

He says the organisation benefits from a diverse workforce.

"Its good for us to have that different point of view from how a woman thinks to how a man thinks," says Sergeant Pleasance.

The tour will take the defence personnel to Gladstone and Tannum Sands schools before they travel north along the Queensland coast back to Townsville.